Ruled by Secrecy
by superawesomed
Summary: Slash. Harry faces betrayal after his name comes out of the Goblet of Fire. Driven by bitterness, Harry sinks deeper and deeper into the darkness that he can no longer deny. eventual HP/LV. GoF AU.
1. The Fourth Champion

**A/N: Here we go! My first HP/LV story (though definitely not the first one I've read)! Also, as of now this story is un-betaed, so please excuse any errors. Comment if you'd like to beta! One last thing, this story will be almost a blend of the book and the movie universe, though it may be closer to the movie because I've watched it just this weekend and don't have time to reread the book. Ok, off we go! Enjoy(hopefully)!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If you recognize it, it's not mine.**

Warnings: Slash, maybe slight violence

'_Thoughts'_

Chapter 1: The Fourth Champion

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called. He looked around the Great Hall, before his eyes finally settled on Harry. Harry sat gaping, looking like a fish out of water. The students from all three schools stared at him, their whispers telling of his deceit. He stood, but stayed still other than that.

Hermione gave him a nudge, urging him to go forward. He started towards the podium, looking behind him as if he expected the others to laugh at him for falling for some sort of prank. No one was laughing. All he saw was the contempt in Ron's eyes, and the disappointment in Hermione's. His friends, his roommates, and people he'd always been kind to, they all looked to him without any support or comfort. He faced the front again, unable to take their looks of scorn. He was not granted the freedom though, as he looked into Dumbledore's blue eyes. His eyes said one thing _'why would you do this?'_

He took the slip of paper that Dumbledore thrust at him. There it was, clear as day. _Harry Potter. _He walked toward the side chamber that the other three champions had gone into.

'_The real three champions...,'_ his mind supplied unnecessarily. They looked up as he entered.

"Do they want us back in the hall?" Fleur Delacour, the French champion, asked. Harry just stared at her as a flurry of witches and wizards rushed into the room.

"Harry! Did you or did you not put you name in the Goblet of Fire?" Dumbledore asked.

"No sir!" Harry responded quickly, he was being bombarded with questions from all angles, and accusations from the foreign wizards. The other champions looked on as the adults interrogated him for proof of the crime he did not commit. Only Professor Moody seemed to have enough sense to know that a fourteen year old wizard would not have the power or knowledge to overcome an object as old and complex as the Goblet of Fire.

Finally, he was dismissed to his dormitory, though his fears were not quelled much. He'd have to complete, and there was no way of getting out of it.

Ron glared at Harry from his bed as he walked into their dormitory as if he had committed the ultimate betrayal. Harry sat in his own bed, and he suffered the silence for only one short minute.

"I didn't put my name in that cup." Harry said.

"Oh really? We all know you're just out to get all the attention placed on you. Thought you might just want to let your best friend know, though."

"You clearly aren't any sort of best friend if you're willing to believe that rubbish. Now I see that you're just a jealous prick whose loyalty is fake." With that, Harry turned around. No matter how harshly he had said the words, he felt the pain of losing his first friend hit him hard.

'_Not a real friend, if he turned his back on you that quickly. If your closest friend can't be trusted, then who can?'_ the darker side of his mind whispered, the part that he had always pushed behind him in an effort to be accepted. For the first time in his life, though, he found himself agreeing.

The next morning started out terribly. He was ignored by the majority of the students. Those who weren't ignoring him, however, called out names and taunts. Ron spent the breakfast shooting glares at Harry, while Hermione sat across from Ron, giving him disappointed looks every so often. He left breakfast early, to escape the whispers and avoid the guilt.

'_Guilt for something you haven't done.'_ Harry tried to ignore the fact that his mind was starting to make more and more sense. He walked on to his first class of the day without many problems, despite the few students he ran into on his way that made snide remarks or asked him how he got past the age line.

The week rolled by in a similar manner and soon Harry found himself sitting by the lake on Saturday morning. He was starting to get used to the sudden loneliness caused by his friends' abandonment, though that did not mean he enjoyed it. He missed the conversations with Ron about Quidditch and he would even suffer through one of Hermione's study sessions without complaint right about now. But they had avoided him, so he avoided them. He would not be the one to admit that he had done anything wrong because he hadn't done anything wrong. Knowing Ron though, it would take a lot for the stubborn idiot to admit to his mistakes. The part that saddened him the most was that he expected Hermione to be smarter than this and to side with him. Instead, she sided with Ron. He sighed as he looked out across the water. He picked up a rock and stood, before chucking it as far as he could over the water, where it sank quickly into the black murky liquid.

"Sod off, Malfoy." Harry said as he pushed past the blonde boy in the hall. He was persistent though, determined to ruin Harry's day.

"Gryffindor's little golden boy has fallen from grace now, hasn't he?" Malfoy taunted. Harry tried his best to ignore him, and also tried his best to avoid shoving Malfoy into a wall and cursing him. Draco smirked, thinking that his silence meant that his jibe had stung him deeply, but he frowned when he realized that he had failed to get a rise out of him.

"Looks like the little golden boy has grown up a little. Maybe it's from the lack of the Weasel." Malfoy said.

"The sad thing is," Harry murmured, "that you might even be right about that." Draco tilted his head.

"Maybe you're not so bad anymore. Well at least not as long as you've progressed from hanging out with people like the Weasleys. How about we try to put the past behind us; try for…civility, between us. I can help you. We'd make good allies. " Harry had to wonder about it. _'What about my friends? Should I just let him trash Ron like that… then again, Ron has been trashing me without any remorse. And I doubt I can even consider them my friends anymore.'_ With that, Harry made up his mind. He reached out and shook Draco's hand, almost wondering about how different things would be if he had done this in his first year.

"I'm Rita Skeeter. I write for the _Daily Prophet_ and I am here to get the scoop. My readers and I would like to know. Who's first?" Rita said loudly. Harry disliked her already. She seemed the type to slander and twist words.

"We'll start with the youngest!" she said.

"It makes more sense to start with the oldest," Harry pointed out, "After all, they were born first." Rita looked displeased, knowing that she couldn't actively disagree without seeming like she only wanted to interview Harry, but she dragged Krum away, instead. Krum looked uncomfortable, Harry noted, thinking that Krum would be used to the spotlight. Harry watched as he was pulled into a broom cupboard. He sat silently with the other contestants, until Cedric broke the silence.

"You've probably gotten this a lot," he said, "but why exactly did you enter?" Harry resisted the urge to sigh.

"I didn't enter." He said, his tone almost cold.

"I didn't really think that you did," Cedric said, "but I wanted to be sure." Harry was pleased when Fleur voiced her agreement, but he was then reminded of the people who didn't believe him.

"You may be among the only ones. Not even my friends can see the obvious truth. " Harry said bitterly. Cedric and Fleur voiced their sympathy.

"Eet doezn't even make any zense for you to 'ave entered." Fleur said.

"I agree. I just wish everyone else saw that."

"I thought that you of all people would know that I didn't enter, Hermione." Harry said as he approached her in the common room.

"I thought you of all people would understand the danger of entering in a tournament like this." She replied quietly, as if he were a child. He almost winced at her tone, before he turned and stalked out of the portrait hole. When he got to breakfast, ha sat alone towards the end of the table yet he was still ambushed by various Gryffindors.

"So how'd you do it?"

"It's so cool that we have our own champion!"

"Can I get your autograph?"

Before he knew it, he was up and walking away from the table, and towards the other side of the hall. He stopped when he was standing next to Draco Malfoy's seat.

"Mind if I join you?" The Slytherins stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Go right ahead." Draco replied, with a small smirk, earning him the disbelieving stares. Harry sat next to him, glad that he was facing away from the angry glares that were bound to be coming from the rest of the hall.

"Harry, this is Blaise, Pansy, Greg and Vince." They each gave a slight nod as Draco introduced them, having regained their pure-blood masks.

"Pleasure. I know you're all confused and I'd just like to say that Draco and I are on… better terms nowadays."

"Also," Draco added, "Harry is tired of the blind judgment from that Mudblood and the Weasel. You'd think that as 'perfect little Gryffindors' they would've stayed true to their friendship. Trust me, Potter. You can make much stronger ties here. " Harry prepared to squash the urge to defend Ron and Hermione, but was immensely surprised when it never even arrived.

'_Maybe I've finally renounced them as completely as they have me.'_

"Maybe I shouldn't have argued with the Sorting Hat so much." Harry said. The others raised eyebrows, silently asking him to elaborate.

"The Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin at first."

"Why did you argue?" Blaise asked.

"Well, Ron had already told me about how all things Slytherin were evil, and since he was my first friend, I was willing to do anything to please him. Plus, I had already met Draco, who seemed well… unfriendly." Harry explained.

"If I may ask, what do you mean by first friend?" Pansy asked.

"I mean exactly that. I never had a friend before that. The _muggles_ made sure of that." Harry said darkly. The Slytherins nodded at him sympathetically. It was then that Harry realized the disgusted tone he had used.

'_Well it makes sense. Why like the barbarians that treated you like vermin? Like dirt.'_ Harry reluctantly agreed with his mind's logic.

"So you really lived with muggles? What were they like? And you had no clue that you were a wizard?" Blaise asked. Harry frowned.

"They were terrible—are terrible. They think I'm some sort of freak. They-" Harry stopped when he realized that he was spilling all of his secrets to a bunch of people that he had just met and to all of the Slytherins that were eavesdropping, though subtly.

"I think that we've pried into Harry's life quite enough," Draco said, recognizing that he was no longer willing to talk, "And besides, we'll have to rush if we don't leave for Defense Against the Dark Arts soon." With that, Harry and the Slytherins left for class. Harry wondered the entire way how he had spent three years of his life thinking that these people were evil and dark simply because a talking hat had called out Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. After all, from what he'd seen so far, the Slytherins, while being a house with a hierarchy, was a house with ties that clearly surpassed those of Gryffindor house. Harry thought then about how his life would be different if he were a Slytherin instead of just a snake in lion's clothing.

**A/N: Please review! Review or PM me if you're interested in Betaing this story! Hope you liked it.**


	2. Fury

**A/N: I was actually very surprised with the turnout of the last chapter. Thank you so much for all of your reviews and alerts and everything. And, while I was looking through all of the emails, a few pennames jumped out at me and I was shocked to see that some of my favorite authors had read my story. A special thanks to: Aisling-Siobhan, Miss C Riddle, sistersgrimmlover (I love Inside My Mind by the way), and Aya Macchiato (whose story inspired this one). All the feedback encouraged med to write a new chapter sooner!**

**SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE TO EVERYONE: This story's name is being changed**

**to ****Ruled By Secrecy****. I hope this note helps to eliminate confusion.**

**New Disclaimer for the whole story: I don't own Muse. At all. Or Harry Potter.**

**On with the Chapter!**

**xXx**

**2. Fury**

"I can't believe that after all these years you would still turn into some sort of traitor!"

"I don't even know what you mean, Ron. And you're one to talk when it comes to betraying somebody." Harry was annoyed. All of the questions and accusations he got we're really starting to get on his nerves. It was as if by sitting with the Slytherins, he was turning into some sort of dark wizard who aimed to take down Lord Voldemort just so he could take his place as dark lord. Maybe he'd still be sitting with the Gryffindors if their conversation consisted of more than heated glares, suspicious looks and insults that lacked in any sort of cleverness.

"Look at yourself! You've turned into one of those slimy snake gits. I'm still surprised at how far you'll go for a little bit of attention!" Ron jealously ranted, startling Harry out of his musings, "And I can't believe that, of all people, you're hanging out with that little ferret, Malfoy. Is he your best friend now, or what?"

Harry was growing angry by the second, so in order to prevent an irrational outburst, he hurried to tune out the redhead's rant.

"Look Ron," Harry stated once he had composed himself, "I don't even understand why you care so much. You've already rejected me as a best friend and turned your back on me in a second." Harry looked at Ron, hoping to see maybe a twinge of regret or the slightest sign of guilt on his former friend's face. And he was surprised to find that he didn't feel the least bit shocked to see none of that on Ron's face.

**xXx**

"I wish I could have seen the Gryffindors' reactions." Draco said to Harry who was sitting across from him with his back to the rest of the school like usual. Harry rolled his eyes.

"However anti-Slytherin they were, they didn't really convince me to go back to sitting with them." Harry replied.

"What I find disappointing," Blaise put in, "is that they can't even see around they're unjustifiably arrogant minds to realize how idiotic they're being." Harry nodded in agreement. The Italian boy had been warming up to him and vice versa, but they didn't yet share a deep trust. The same could be said for all of the Slytherins in their year, including Draco. Their relationship could be better described as a sort of mutually beneficial acquaintanceship. At this point, they studied each other, trying to determine the pros of becoming friends with the person, and they looked closely to see if this was the type of person to betray your trust or tell their secrets.

Harry caught on to this quickly, and also participated in this stage of pre-friendship. So far, most of the Slytherins in his year seemed trustworthy enough, seeing as they understood the importance of loyalty and trust. Harry almost didn't understand how the rest of the school saw them as dark or evil, when that viewpoint and discrimination was what drove them to become dark wizards.

One thing Harry noticed that he had been blind to in the past was the fact that Dumbledore, the _fair _and _kind_ wizard, did nothing at all to stop this. He practically encouraged it. For example, the time in Harry's first year when he granted Gryffindor just enough points at the end of the year feast to win them the house cup that Slytherin had already won. That was the most blatant favoritism that Harry had seen, other than Snape.

"Harry," Draco said quickly and quietly, "the headmaster is walking over here." Harry glanced up quickly, startled from his thoughts. He could see Dumbledore striding towards them with a grandfatherly look on his face. He glanced toward the staff table where he saw most of the teachers looking onto the scene with varying expressions, Snape's being one of displeasure, whether it be at Harry or the headmaster. He glanced around the rest of the hall only to see almost every pair of eyes on the situation as well.

Harry inwardly sighed as the headmaster reached the table.

"Harry, my boy," he started in a falsely cheerful tone of voice, "I couldn't help but wonder why you haven't been sitting with your friends."

'_I bet you couldn't help but to come over here and try to guilt trip me into going back and sitting with my nice, light-sided friends.' _Harry's mind added, darkly.

"My friends haven't been speaking to me and don't seem to desire my presence so I came and sat over here." Harry told him innocently.

"Harry you need to forgive you friends," Dumbledore said in a condescending tone of voice, "I'm sure they're just shocked by your name coming out of the goblet and needed a bit of time to adjust. Meanwhile, I must inform you that you are required to go back and sit your own house." Harry almost couldn't keep the look of disbelief off of his face and his temper in check.

"I must apologize, Headmaster, but I would rather stay here. And I don't believe there's any rule against sitting with another house." Dumbledore lost the twinkle in his eye or a moment before regaining his grandfatherly façade.

"Very well, Harry, but I must request that you come up to my office for some tea at 7 o'clock tonight." Dumbledore said with a disappointed tone to his voice, before he walked back up to his seat at the staff table. Harry sighed, noticing many stares on him. He met some peoples' eyes and they were quick to turn their gaze away, their friends following their lead when they noticed his cold stare.

"_Nosy little brats," _the less trusting side of Harry's mind added, "_Always looking for a reason to turn on somebody."_

Finally, he turned his attention back to his new-found allies.

"What a manipulative old bastard." Draco muttered.

"My sentiments exactly," Blaise replied, "though Harry, I must advise you to avoid eye contact when you meet him later."

"Avoid eye contact? I don't understand…" Harry's voice trailed off. Draco and Blaise traded looks.

"Well, there's a type off magic," Blaise explained, "a mind magic, known as Legilimency. It's a way that powerful wizards can read the thoughts of others. Albus Dumbledore is an accomplished Legilimens. It's illegal, though I doubt that would stop him."

"So the only way I can keep him from invading my mind is by not meeting his eyes?" Harry fumed. His was raging inside at the thought of the headmaster's obvious refusal to respect peoples' privacy for the sake of the so-called 'greater good'.

"There is one way to combat it. Occlumency is the art of shielding one's mind from unfriendly invasion, and is the rival of Legilimency. The problem is that both mind arts are extremely hard to master. Most purebloods are taught the basics of Occlumency when they're children, but it's not nearly enough to keep someone like him out." Blaise stated.

Harry decided that he would need to do a lot of research on the subject, even searching the restricted section if necessary. He'd found a book in the main library on wards and how to detect and dismantle them. With a little luck, and maybe some help from his father's old cloak, he'd be able to find all the knowledge he needed to keep manipulative old men out of his mind. Working hard to keep a smirk off of his face, he thought of how the headmaster would react when he realizes that he could no longer read his little golden boy like an open book.

"_We'll see who's keeping secrets then," _Harry thought darkly, _"and we'll see who's really in control."_

**xXx**

Harry's meeting with Dumbledore came much sooner than he would've hoped.

_'Then again, I don't hope for any meetings with the headmaster.'_ Soon, Harry found himself at the gargoyle guarding the staircase to the headmaster's office. The gargoyle, probably forewarned of Harry's visit jumped aside as he approached.

Letting one final sigh escape, he began his ascent up towards the wooden door at the top, putting on his best mask of innocence. He raised his hand to knock but before it made contact, Dumbledore's voice rang out, inviting him in. Usually, he would stop to wonder about how the old man knew who was at his office door, but now he knew that he probably had wards to tell alert him to visitors.

He turned the doorknob and entered the office filled with mysterious instruments. He walked towards the chair across the desk from the old headmaster, who was smiling at him, eyes twinkling and a grandfatherly expression on his face.

"Ah, Harry, my boy! Have a seat. Lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered. Harry politely refused as he took a seat in the plushy chair.

"Now, before we get down to business, we should catch up a bit. How are your classes this year?" Dumbledore asked, sounding as though he were truly interested, though Harry knew that he was just trying to get him to relax and spill more of his secrets.

"They're fine sir, but if you don't mind, can we get straight to business. I'm afraid I have a potions essay waiting for me in the common room." Dumbledore nodded, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk, his fingers entwined.

"Well, Harry," he began, "I'd like to know why you've strayed away from your friends after all you've been through together."

Harry was seething inside. _'The nerve of him! Of course he would try to make me feel guilty for ditching my former friends when it was them who betrayed me.'_ Outwardly, Harry did his best to conceal the anger that was bubbling inside of him.

"Well, after my name came out of the Goblet of Fire, my friends believed that I had entered and they were really angry. The rest of the school seems to feel the same way. But I didn't enter!" Harry played the part of naïve and angst-filled teen. The headmaster seemed to buy it as he placed his hands on Harry's in a placating manner.

"Harry, you must forgive your friends. They're probably just worried about you being in such a dangerous tournament." Dumbledore told him.

'_Worried! One is a jealous prat and the other is convinced that she's always right. There's no way that I'll ever give them my trust again just for it to be stomped on!' _

Plus, Harry suspected them of spilling all of his secrets straight to Dumbledore whenever he asked them to without a second thought. And now, Harry was done. He needed to get out of that office before his temper got the better of him. Luckily, Dumbledore was done trying to manipulate him for the night, believing that Harry had soaked up his words and felt guilty for what he did (or didn't do) to his friends.

"Well, that's all for tonight, though I must warn you of one more thing. Stay away from those Slytherins because they cannot be trusted. I'd like for you to be sure to take care."

Through all of his anger at Dumbledore's hypocrisy, he managed a tight 'of course, sir. Goodnight.' before he left the office as fast as could without seeming suspicious. His thoughts stewed in mind during the trip back to the common room.

'_Why does Dumbledore insist on meddling in my life! Is it because I'm famous and therefore have some pull over this fickle society? Or because I destroyed Voldemort as a baby and apparently have some mystical light powers?'_ If only Harry knew the motives behind Dumbledore's need to always single him out. Harry then told himself that he would find out, despite what it took.

**xXx**

That night, Harry set off underneath his invisibility cloak in search of some knowledge not granted to the regular part of the library. Tucked under his arm was the book titled _Wards and Charms to Ensure You're Secured_. In his hand was the Marauders' Map, which he used to avoid the patrolling teachers and Filch. Finally, he reached the library where his mind came up with a slight dilemma.

'_What do I do when I actually get the books I need? It's not like I can take them out.'_ Then, with a solution in mind, Harry took a quick detour on his way to the Restricted Section, heading towards the area dedicated to charms instead. Looking through a book on useful household charms, he scanned the table of contents for a copying charm. Now, with the charms book also tucked under his arm, he headed towards the rope separating the main library from the forbidden area, pausing when he got there. He checked the map once more to make sure that no one was coming that way before he set his things onto the floor, though keeping the cloak on. He flipped through the book on wards, searching for the spell that reveals wards.

"Deleniti Revelare" Harry murmured, swinging his wand slowly across the area directly in front of him. The spell took a moment to work, before the tip of his ward glowed a light green, indicating that there were no wards on the area itself. Harry then ducked under the rope. Now, though, the real challenge was getting past the wards on the books that would scream and alert someone as soon as they were opened.

Harry scanned the shelves for the books he would need, using over ten minutes of his time looking through the unfamiliar aisles of the section that was much vaster than he had ever thought. He wondered at the knowledge that was caged up in here, noting many books that seemed very mild and innocent. Others, though, he knew should be kept away. The book he found was called _Occlumency and Legilimency: Mastering the Mind_. He took it off the shelf, careful not to let it open. Then, he began a quiet chant that he had found in the ward book, a chant designed to unravel most basic wards.

"Dulcedine Perdant" he repeated. Using the detection spell to make sure the charms were removed, he was disappointed when it then glowed light red. Harry was lost when it came to what to do when he got an idea. Opening the everyday charms book he had taken from the main library, he uttered the copying charm to see if the enchantments would follow the copied book. With a copy in hand, he tried the detection spell one last time, planning to come back another night if it didn't work. He was delighted when the spell came up green.

Harry decided to take one more book along with him for now, making a mental note to bring along a bag with a space expansion charm next time. Quickly, he decided on the book named _The Truth of Light and Dark_. Gathering his things, he made his way back to the common room after dropping off the book on charms. Tucking his new books under most of the items in his trunk, he cast a notice-me-not charm to reduce the chance of anyone finding them. It wouldn't be good for the little golden boy to be acting less than golden.

He tugged on his pajamas, postponing his mind training for tomorrow due to the late hour.

**xXx**

Divination class was the same as it had only been, with Trelawney predicting his death in many horrific and unfortunate ways. The only difference was that instead of partnering with Ron like he used to, he tended to work with various Ravenclaws that shared the class, most of whom finding the subject to be rubbish.

Today when he walked in, he noticed a blonde Ravenclaw who he hadn't seen in this class before. As if sensing his gaze, she looked up at him, giving a small smile that gave one the idea that she knew something that they didn't. He approached the table she sat at, taking the seat across from her when she gestured for him to. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that she had a dreamy look in her silvery grey eyes.

"I'm Luna Lovegood," she said, extending her hand across the table for him to shake.

"Harry Potter," he replied, shaking her hand before voicing the question he'd had since he entered the classroom, "Are you new to this class because I haven't seen you in here before?"

She gave him another small smile before turning towards Professor Trelawney who was about to begin talking. Glancing up, she met Luna's gaze, giving a questioning eyebrow raise that was almost undetectable. Luna gave a nod that was just as subtle in return before turning back towards Harry, who shot her a questioning look as well.

"I'm actually a third year right now. I was moved up to this class due to my _advanced knowledge_ of the subject." she said.

"So you already have studied divination?" he asked her politely.

"Studied. Known. Used." she said cryptically. Now he was confused about this strange girl. In the background, Trelawney began to speak but neither of them paid her any mind. And if the professor noticed them talking, she didn't acknowledge them.

"So you're a seer?"

"I'm glad you figured it out so quickly. But I guess you can say that I didn't tell the whole truth about why I moved to this class." at Harry's raised eyebrow, she continued, "I saw something that made me feel the need to switch."

"What was it, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Someone who also has abilities that could go to be wasted or misused."

"Who was it?" he asked, not yet frustrated with the half truths.

"I don't suppose I can tell you right now during the teacher's lecture, but I'll tell you what. Meet me in the seventh floor corridor near the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls ballet after dinner." With that, she turned her attention towards Trelawney. Now, with his curiosity piqued, he found himself walking up the steps towards the hallway he was told to go to. When he arrived, Luna was already waiting for him.

"I'm glad you came." She said. Then, she started acting odd as she paced back and forth across the blank stretch of wall before them. Harry was shocked when a door seemingly appeared there as she finished her third pass. Opening the door, she beckoned for him to enter the new room ahead of her. Looking around, Harry noticed that it seemed to be a room designed for seers and foretellers. Shelves lined a few of the walls, holding up crystal balls, tarot cards, tea cups, and other things of the sort. Fluffy pillows covered the floor of the exotic smelling room and Harry could see jars of herbs, both dried and fresh, and pots of sand that sat next to many different types of incense. Now he was really curious about Luna and why she had brought him here. Turning around, he saw her closing the door, before she glided towards the center of the room and plopping herself down of a pile of pillows. He followed her lead, both of them keeping silent for a short moment before she began talking.

"I only learned of this place this current year actually," Luna stated, "after I got a vision of a house elf that was wearing a lot of socks escorting another house elf here, the second appearing quite drunk, though why I don't know."

"That's nice, but I was actually wondering why you brought me here." he told her.

"Well, if you want to get to the point now, I brought you here to save you a lot of confusion. And maybe fear as well. I'd like to change a vision I had."

You see Harry, I had a vision of you attempting Occlumency from those books you copied from the library." Harry was a little bit alarmed now. What else did she know about him? As if sensing his growing worry, she quickly ensured her that all of his secrets were safe with her.

"You're probably wondering what the problem with that was," she began, "I think that you, Harry, possess the gift."

"Gift?"

"The gift of foresight. Just like I do. You see, most seers start out by receiving visions in a specific way. For instance, some use crystal balls. Others use meditation. Some even use scented things like incense but that's more common amongst foreseers like prophets."

"So what does it have to do with me learning Occlumency?" Harry asked her.

"The key to learning Occlumency is to clear one's mind and meditate, so one can become familiar with their minds and hide their memories. So, had you proceeded with learning it, you would've _seen_. And you wouldn't have understood. But that's what I'm here for."

I'd like to teach you to use the power. Gifted seers are rare, as the gift is usually passed down a family line. I got it from my mother, and she trained me to use it before she died. Now, I can train you. It's not rare amongst seers for two people to work together. It strengthens the gift and grants more knowledge."

Harry mind was reeling. He had trouble believing half of what Luna said to him. Maybe she was just loony.

"You don't believe me," she said, reading his facial expression, "How about I prove it." Suddenly, a screen appeared on the other side of the room and a piece of parchment and a muggle pen showed up next to Luna, who picked them up and stood.

"I'm going to write down a word and stand behind that screen. What I want you to do is sit there and meditate, but instead of fully clearing your mind, think of me and what I'm doing." She walked over to the screen and sat behind it as the doubtful Harry closed his eyes and did the best he could to follow her instructions. A long while passed before Harry, after eight unsuccessful minutes, felt the odd sensation of falling backwards into a pool. He saw a smiling Luna who held a piece of parchment. Then, it almost felt as though some unknown force was pulling him out of the pool, and Harry was once again sitting on the floor.

"Is it Lemon?" he called out. Luna emerged a bright smile on her face as she sat across from him once again. She turned around the parchment and, sure enough, there was the word, written in large letters.

"Is that not proof enough?" she asked.

"But I don't understand. How could I not have known about this before?"

"That's what I don't fully understand either. The gift almost always emerges during childhood, but definitely before this age. It's possible that certain circumstances kept the power from coming about. Or maybe someone blocked the power on purpose. Who knows? I can try to look back and see but I can't promise you an answer. Looking into the past isn't my strongest talent. Now, we should probably head back to our common rooms. You're probably overloaded with information right now. I'll let you wrap your mind around it before I tell you more. Have a good night, Harry. And I look forward to our next meeting." She was almost to the door when Harry stopped her.

"When is our next meeting?" he asked her. She just gave a small smile.

"Why don't you _look_ a little later tonight. I'll leave you a note on the night stand." With that, she left the room with Harry in tow. They walked together until it came time for them to go in opposite directions to get to their respective common rooms. Harry got changed into his pajamas, reading into the second book he had copied from the Restricted Section before he decided to try and See. It took a little bit less time and the sensation wasn't as strong. He was surrounded by beds, all with the blue curtains drawn. On the nightstand of the one farthest right was another simple piece of parchment with simple writing on it.

_Harry, _

_Same Place _

_Tomorrow after Lunch _

_Good Night_

Harry slipped back into reality once again.

'_So she knows that I have a free period then. With her knowledge and experience, it would be a good idea to stay on her good side.'_ And with that, he set his glasses down on the table and went to sleep.

**xXx**

**So that chapter was longer then I had planned! 4,097 words without my notes. I wrote a story once (it was terrible) on my old profile and my goal was always 1,000 words per chapter. Now, I'm going to try to make all my chapters longer! I hope you all like the seer part and my Luna. **

**REMEMBER: The story's name is changing to Ruled by Secrecy. So I hope you don't get confused. **

**One more thing: I need a beta! Review or PM me to apply! **

**Sorry for my long rambling notes. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Dark Shines

**Wow, what a delay! I meant to start this weeks ago but then I started reading a story that had 17 chapters. I'm thinking that it won't take me too long to read but they were 17 VERY LONG chapters. On that note, I come with a story recommendation of ****Jaded Eyes of a Prodigy ****by ****wickedlfairy17****. After that I just got lazy. But now school has started again. Bummer. Though, in this time between chapters, I've done some of Harry Potter related things like:**

**-See Daniel Radcliffe on Broadway**

**-Go to Harry Potter: The Exhibition**

**-Seen Harry Potter twice (once at midnight)**

**I also have a poll on my profile that I'd love some votes on!**

**Well enough with me and on with the chapter!**

**(This is currently unbetaed. I will replace this chapter with the betaed version when it is complete. Please excuse any errors, or point them out in a review so that I can fix them.)**

**xXx**

**3. Dark Shines**

**xXx**

The next few weeks passed by in the same general fashion: sit with Slytherins, be ostracized by many members of the school, and learn with Luna. The only out of the ordinary event was when the meeting in which the champions were told that the first task, which was much too soon for Harry's taste. He realized then that he still had no clue about what that task would involve.

That problem might be remedied soon, or at least, that's what Luna had hinted when she arranged this little meeting of theirs.

"It's time we learned how to focus on certain things," She had said, "Very important in a seer's world. Tonight at the usual time and place." Now, as he walked into the Room of Requirement, he was gaping. The walls contained even more strange items than all of the previous times they had met. He stared around at all the things in vials and jars.

"Luna, what is all this?" He asked the sitting girl as he joined her in a ring of large squashy pillows.

"This is where I teach you to look for specific futures," she replied, "Specific events. To focus the power. That's what this is called actually. Focusing one's power, whether it be for past or for future."

"Why doesn't that include the present?"

"Ah, an excellent question. The difference, you see, is that you don't need a medium to see certain happenings in the present time. These things that I've had prepared for us are various means of focusing. It might take awhile to find the right one or ones, though."

"You mean we have to go through all of these?" Harry asked, looking scandalized at the time he knew that would take. Luna just gave him a look before standing and gathering a few items. The first he recognized as a crystal ball, while the other items were a pot filled with sand and many sticks in various labeled bags. As he tilted his head to read the words, he noticed titles like jasmine and lavender.

"We'll start with the crystal ball then, though I doubt that will be for you seeing as that seems to be more for common seers which is exactly what you are not. So now I want you to tell your mind what you want to see. Think of everything you know of the first task, like the date and the place. Now gaze into it."

Harry looked into the swirling mists inside the ball, drawing on his knowledge of the impending task. He saw a flash of an image in his mind but it was gone a second later.

"I think I saw a bit of something…" he began, "I think it was a rocky area. But it was gone so quickly that I couldn't see much more." She nodded to him.

"Yes, that's normal for a powerful seer. A common seer wouldn't have seen anything. I remember being so frustrated when my mom was teaching me and all I could see was snippets. Let's move on to the incense, then."

Harry watched as she lit the first stick from the bag labeled _jasmine_. The same flash occurred as he closed his eyes and breathed in the sweet scent. He went through many incense rods with the same results until Luna lit the stick whose label she had not shown him. Shrugging it off, he leaned forward only to be pulled into a more detailed image. The rocks were shaking, he could see, though from what, he was not sure as he was propelled out of the vision. Luna had a small smile on her face as though she were happy with the results. Her face twisted in concentration for a moment before a box with many labeled slots appeared. She put the bag into the slot labeled _weak_.

"What scent was that?" he asked. She just gestured to the box. _Lily_, it said as he read the bag. He frowned before waving a hand towards the wall of supplies. Luna stood silently coming back with more things than before.

"These are different types of rocks and minerals. This box contains precious gems. Let's get started then."

They went on to try out the items she had brought over. Now, amber and turquoise joined the incense in the weak slot. Moonstone and imperial topaz sat in a slot with the word moderate on it. Finally, in the slot labeled _strong_ sat garnet. The last slot remained empty and unlabeled.

The strong gems had almost shown him what he needed to know. He could see images of horns and of fire. Obviously, it was some type of large creature. That explained the rocky environment. The last set they were going to cover tonight was herbs and plants. This set added acacia and aloe to the weak, caraway to the moderate and olive to the strong.

"So is that it for tonight?" Harry asked, feeling tired.

"One last thing actually." She said as she took a green pouch from behind her back.

"I brought this one in with me so that we could remove it from the room. Let's just say I had a hunch that this was the one." She reached into the pouch and pulled out the small item inside.

"Emerald?" Harry asked. Luna smiled.

"I felt that it would be our best chance of stones. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul you know. And yours are rather like emeralds. So give it a try."

Harry took the emerald into his hand and focused and suddenly, his mind was elsewhere.

_A giant horned tail slammed down onto the ground. Huge, leathery wings shook the air as the flapped in large motions. In the distance, there was a patch of large eggs, one glinting in gold. The dragon let out a breath of fire as she stood in front of her eggs._

There was a sensation like hands grabbing him before he felt like he was be forcibly flung back into reality. He felt himself lying back on the pillows and sat back up to resume his previous position of sitting cross-legged on a fluffy mint colored pillow.

"Dragons," he breathed. Luna's eyes widened.

"Dragons? I had expected something dangerous but not that uncontrollable."

"You mean to tell me that you hadn't looked ahead of time?" Harry asked, surprised by her apparent shock.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," she said, "we seers don't usually have many surprises to look forward to and I find that I rather like them from time to time. Well good night then Harry." She started to stand, but Harry stopped her.

"I still have your emerald." She smiled.

"Keep it." And with that, she stood and left the room. Harry stared after her before slipping the emerald into its silk pouch and leaving to his very inviting bed.

**xXx**

**Item meanings at end of chapter.**

**xXx**

Harry paused before turning the corner when he heard two very hushed and very familiar voices emerging from around it.

"He can't go in blind, Ron! He won't stand a chance!" Hermione said angrily.

"So what!" he said, "He's gone and betrayed us anyways!"

"But there's no way he can beat a creature that powerful if he doesn't prepare ahead of time. He could _die_!" she argued.

Harry had heard enough. It was clear that Ron had somehow found out about the dragon. It was also clear that Ron had no intention of warning Harry about it.

_'At least Hermione wants him to tell me. Though I don't understand why she wouldn't just tell me herself if she so worked up about it.'_ He continued on his way to Transfiguration, taking a different hallway that still led to the same place. He was musing about the advantages of knowing the castle with its many entwined corridors and ever-changing staircases as he walked quickly and quietly to class. When he arrived at the classroom, less than half of the class had arrived, most of them being Slytherins. He took a seat next to Blaise while more students scurried into the room. When the last Gryffindors trickled in (Ron and Hermione among them), Professor McGonagall began her lecture. Harry only half listened, having already studied the spell they were learning today, though he hadn't yet practiced it. That didn't worry him. Spells had been coming more easily to him lately and he would probably be able to achieve the enchantment within his first few tries. Finally, it was time for them to pull out their wands and turn the strands of thread and the pieces of wood into a functioning violin. It was a rather complex bit of magic that required quite a bit of concentration. McGonagall expected only a few of them to be able to achieve it, and she had expected it to take more than one lesson.

"Mutatio instrumentum," Harry said, pointing his wand at the items with a clear picture in his mind. It didn't quite work on his first try, but he had felt the tendrils of magic reach out to feel the materials in front of him. He knew he needed more focus so that he could control and discipline his magic better.

It took him eight tries to achieve the desired result, which was more than he'd expected. Professor McGonagall was shocked to say the least. Even her older students had always struggled with that spell. She had meant for this exercise to be more about improving focus than mastering the spell. She issued twenty points to Gryffindor before she made her way back to her desk. Now that she thought about it, she realized that Harry's improvement had been in more than grades. His practical application had improved dramatically. She had assumed that he was just studying more. Now, she knew that there had to be something bigger going on to cause Harry's performance to increase so quickly.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Hermione Granger sat with her eyes on her friend, or now, former friend. She saw him create the instrument with finesse, and that left her confused. When had he gotten so good at transfiguration? She always got things done first while Harry and Ron slacked off. Now, it seemed that, while Hermione was still ahead and Ron still slacked off, Harry was the one on top. She decided that she'd get down to the bottom of this.

"Ok, you need to explain this to me." Blaise demanded. Had he not been such a dignified Slytherin, his mouth would be hanging open with his awe at Harry's achievement. His own materials had not become anything close to a violin, let alone a functioning instrument. Harry's even had detailing in the wood.

"It's all in the focus, really. You need to be able to picture exactly what you desire these items to become." Blaise brought up a picture of a simple violin in his mind before adding details to it that he had seen on normal violins. He gave a small nod, at which Harry continued.

"The other major factor is control of your magic. Be determined. Don't make demands to your magic, either. Become one with it. Try to feel the tendrils of magic reaching out to the materials." Blaise looked down at his desk. His brow creased as he shut his eyes and brought up the picture he had created in his mind. He stated the incantation. He couldn't feel his magic reaching out but he could feel its presence. Though the enchantment failed at this attempt, he managed to be the second one successful only minutes before the bell rang.

Harry had been reclining in his chair reading a book titled _Offense and Defense: What You Need to Know on the Deadliest Creatures_. Now he looked up at Blaise with an almost serene smile on his face, along with a barely noticeable look of pride. Blaise gave a small smile in return, and he knew then that without Harry's assistance and apparent knowledge on the subject, he might not have ever mastered the spell.

One thought floated through the mind of the Transfiguration Mistress while she watch one student in particular leave her classroom.

'_Just like James. Though there's something majorly different that I can't identify.'_

**xXx**

**I've decided to end it here. Now I'm really sorry because this is really late and really short. **

**I think I'll do an interlude (Luna's Teachings) and then the First Task!**

**Item Meanings:**

**Acacia-psychic powers**

**Aloe- protection, luck**

**Caraway-mental powers **

**Olive-peace**

**Amber-luck motivation, fulfillment of desires**

**Turquoise- readiness, foresight, protection**

**Moonstone- luck, intuition**

**Imperial topaz- positivity, self-confidence**

**Emerald- love, prophecy**

**Garnet- success, cure for depression**

**Thanks! (Forgive me!)**


End file.
